Clay County authorities charged two men with the murder of one of their friends, despite the pair not being the direct cause of his death.

Burglary victims chased Nathan Charles Ross, 32, of Jacksonville, Jarrod Romani, 29, of Okeechobee and Jason Michael Kent, 41, of Jacksonville in June after the victims saw stolen chain saws in the back of the men’s vehicle. The victims forced the suspected thieves off the road and detained them after a short fight, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrest warrants.

Kent died after he began complaining of abdominal pain, which turned out to be a ruptured spleen, according to the Sheriff’s Office reports.

Ross and Romani were charged Monday with murder in the June 21 altercation — though Romani is still being sought.

Neither Ross nor Romani were involved in harming Kent, but they were charged under a state law that applies to accomplices involved in a crime that ends in a death.

The chain saws’ owner, 43-year-old Jamie Arson Green, also is charged in the case, but only with simple battery against Ross. It’s unclear why Green does not face additional charges.

The incident began when two chain saws were stolen from the bed of Green’s pickup truck while he and his son, Jamie Green Jr., 19, were inside a RaceTrac convenience store at 3106 U.S. 17.

The Greens and Chase Carter, 20, pursed the Volkswagen, which pulled over a short distance away.

Investigators at the time said Kent and Ross tried to flee and began to fight with Green and his son, who used “physical force to defend themselves and detain the suspects from fleeing,” according to the arrest report.

According to an arrest warrant, Green punched Ross in the face when he became verbally abusive after surrendering.

Kent, who detectives said was intoxicated, was taken to Orange Park Medical Center, where he was found to have internal bleeding. He died after being transferred to UF Health Jacksonville

Ross, also injured in the fight, and Romani were charged with auto burglary after the theft. They have yet to stand trial in that case.